Of Lonely Hearts and Hidden Tears
by Inksomnia
Summary: SPR gets a request for a case and decide to look into it. Only the ghost seems very interested in Mai...as usual. But it is for a reason that Mai had hoped to have forgotten and push to the very back of her mind, and it comes back with fresh pain. Oh, for I pity those sorrowful souls. MaiXNaru
1. Chapter 1

**HI! So I had a cool story idea pop into my head, so why not? Don't expect too much from this story, because I'm not too good at this whole writing thing, but I do it anyway. Also, finals are coming up soon, so it may take a while for chapters to be added since I'll be too busy having a mental breakdown. **

**DISCLAIMER: Ghost Hunt does not belong to me, because if it did, Mai and Naru would totally be a thing by now, who are we kidding. **

**Enjoy this intro thingy!**

* * *

Mai clutched her stomach, laughing until she couldn't breathe.

"Remember," Mai gasped between fits of giggles, "when Ayako screamed about a rat?"

The whole team laughed at the memory as Ayako stood, ready to defend herself. "Excuse me," she said, a little red in the face from embarrassment, "it was the biggest rat I've ever seen! They do NOT come that big!"

"Yeah, well, a priestess who works with the Earth around her can't handle one of its creations, I see!" Monk proceeded to do an imitation of Ayako's reaction of the sight of the rat. "Kyaaaa!" he squealed in a girly voice. "Save me!"

The SPR gang sat in the waiting room at the office, reminiscing about their previous case. Constant laughter flitted throughout the office, as others brought up hilarious moments of experiences the gang members had during the case. The ghost had turned out to be a prankster, a child at the age of ten who made the childish fears of the members come true.

They soon got to discussing Monk's (as Ayako had brought it up for revenge) and Yasu was reassuring Monk that he would protect him, making Monk stare at him with a blank look on his face. He had become used to Yasu's 'flirting' and just ignored it now.

Their favorite narcissist opened the door of his office and cleared his throat. With a hint of annoyance in his voice, he announced something to the group. "_I would appreciate it if you did not use my office as a false comedy show_." He checked his watch. "In fact, I have an appointment with a client in about five minutes, so it would be gracious of you if you did not interrupt."

He left as quickly as he came, leaving the group silent.

"As narcissistic as always," Mai commented, once he was out of ear shot.

A mumble of agreement passed through the flock of people. Mai suddenly piped up. "Ah! How about some tea?"

"Yes, please," Ayako responded. "I need something warm, December's as cold as always…"

Mai nodded, then jumped. "It's December! I totally forgot!"

Masako spoke up with her mouth hidden behind her sleeve. "I guess you really are stupid after all," she insulted, a gleam in her eyes.

Mai gave a pointed glance back. "I've been so busy with paperwork that I didn't notice. But," she continued, "Christmas is coming!"

John gave a small gasp of realization. "Ah, Christmas! It seems I had forgotten as well!"

Mai gave a wide smile. "I should buy a tree for the office-!"

Bou-san grimaced. "Again? Are you sure, Mai, because our little Naru wasn't too happy about that last year."

Her face fell. "Oh, I guess so…"

The monk, on seeing that crushed expression, attacked Mai with a hug, his eyes filled with sparkles and pity. "But if you want to bring one in again, I support you! I won't let that jerk ruin everything!"

Mai giggled and had to wriggle out from the monk's grasp. "Hm, I'll take you up on that. Who wants a dreary office for Christmas?"

Mai left to the kitchen to make tea, humming to herself 'Jingle Bells' as the Christmas spirit had seemed to possess her (**A/N: LOL I'M SO FUNNY jk I have no life, carry on**). The kettle had just begun to whistle as there was a knock on the door, signaling that Naru's client had arrived.

"Ah, crap!" she heard Bou-san shout-whisper. "Scatter!"

And like that, they were all fleeing the scene like criminals, hiding themselves in other parts of the office.

"Coming~!" Mai sang, and raced to the door.

She opened the door and was greeted by a nice looking, older man, in his early fifties or so, and a young boy, around the age of ten. "Welcome to SPR, come in and have a seat!" She allowed them inside as they pardoned their intrusion.

"Nar-erm, Shibuya-san!" Mai called. She reddened in the slightest for almost calling her boss 'Naru' in front of their clients.

The dark-haired teenager emerged from his office, walking over to the couches where the two were seated. As he sat down, Mai came over and said to the guests, "I have some tea nearly ready, if you would like some."

The older man nodded and the boy gave a weak smile. "Thank you very much," the assumed father said, his eyes giving a kind look.

Mai went to prepare the cups, not bothering to ask Naru, for she knew he drank tea as often as he breathed. She tried to keep the noise of the dishes as minimal as possible so she could overhear the conversation.

"I am the head of this office, Shibuya Kazuya. What seems to need attention?" Naru said calmly.

The father smiled. "You are so young, like they say." He gave a sigh. It was amazing how smart and advanced the youth were becoming. "Hello, thank you for listening to me. My name is Yamada Hiroshi, and this is my youngest son, Yamada Takashi." He cleared his throat. "Lately, there has been a number of…incidents in my home, especially concerning this boy."

Naru nodded. "Please describe your experiences."

"When it first started, I heard some faint rapping noises in Takashi's room one night. I brushed it off as the tree outside his window, but a few days later they sounded like distinct knocks, one at a time, as if someone were knocking on his window. But nobody would be there."

"I also recall a time where Takashi had yelled for me. There was writing on the walls that said, 'Are you lonely?' over and over again. I wanted to think that it was my older son pulling a prank on him, but he was out with a friend all day…"

Mai came over with a platter of tea cups. She set one down in front of Naru, Hiroshi, and Takashi. She sat down herself to listen more intently to the interview, when she noticed that Takashi looked a bit pale. "Drink some of that green tea," Mai said gently. "It'll calm you down a bit."

He did nothing; he just continued to stare at his hands in his lap.

"I'm sorry," Hiroshi apologized for him. "He doesn't talk much, he's been traumatized especially by recent events."

"Such as?" Naru inquired, not seeming to sense the mood. Mai rolled her eyes.

"Well…" he glanced at son worriedly, before proceeding. "M-"

The boy abruptly stood up. "Where's the bathroom?" he asked in a hurried, half-whisper.

Naru assessed the boy's expression before calling Lin over. "Lin, show him to the bathroom."

When the two left, Hiroshi gave a deep sigh. "About three and a half months ago, my wife, and his mother, Yamada Yukino, died in a car accident."

Mai gasped, but Naru's eyes narrowed. "Is this about the same time these incidents started?"

"The major ones concerning Takashi, I guess so. There were just little things that had to do with the whole family since even before the car crash, and it started when we got our new dog five months ago."

"Has your house been abnormally cold during that time period?"

"Now that you mention it, yes, it has. My sons were complaining about it, so I checked the heater but it wasn't broken. It's set to a certain temperature but in the house, it's always colder."

Naru closed his eyes, making a few mental notes. Mai gave Naru an anxious glance, worried that he might reject it since it wasn't too much to go on. He opened his deep blue eyes. "Very well." He said after a few short moments. "We will take your case, we should be at your home at six o' clock tomorrow. We will need a base room to set our equipment."

Hiroshi stood up. "Thank you kindly," he said. "Takashi's had enough on his plate already."

Takashi came back from the bathroom, and the two shortly left afterward.

Mai smiled. The man looked so relieved with Naru's acceptance. Maybe Naru did have a heart after all.

The crew came out of their hiding places. Ayako gave a grin. "I overheard everything. Sounds like we have a case on our hands, don't we?"

"And an interesting one at that," Bou-san added.

Naru stood with his arms crossed, and his eyes closed for a second. "Although, this will interfere with the other office work…"

He made way to his office after he made that remark. Mai felt anger rising in her throat. He doesn't have a heart at all, like she originally thought. He simply did it because he needed the money.

"You stupid narcissist!"

* * *

**Tsk, tsk, Naru will be Naru. Anyway, hope you liked that intro thing. I'm trying to keep the characters as original as in the actual anime and manga and stuff. But who knows. **

**ok, bye! Have a nice day wherever you may be ^_^**

**with sprinkles and watermelons, **

**Inksomnia**


	2. Chapter 2

**heyyyyyyyy everyone! I really like this story, so I mean, why not? I have chapter 2 uploaded,so enjoy!**

**P.S. Thanks for all the favorites and follows and such! I was really surprised that people actually read my stuff so THANK YOU :D**

* * *

Day 1, 6:00 P.M.

Mai jumped out of the car, eager to get started on the case.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" Mai said to herself, admiring the house that stood before her. It was quite a large traditional house, with a small pond and garden in front.

The front door of that house slid open, revealing Hiroshi and a fluffy white dog, which came bounding toward the teenage girl.

"Aww, you're so sweet!" Mai giggled, petting the small puppy.

Hiroshi came outside to greet them. "I apologize for his behavior," the man said. "Kuro, down!"

Mai smiled. "It's perfectly fine," she assured, glancing at the squirming puppy at her feet. "I love dogs!"

Naru then joined the small group of two. "Mai," he began calmly. "I don't pay you to entertain dogs. Go bring in the equipment."

Mai let a pout slip on her face. She shot a small smile towards Hiroshi before leaving, but the scowl returning as she approached the car. She looked behind her shoulder for a second and stuck her tongue at Naru. As she did that, the male teenager slightly shifted his weight, and Mai somehow understood that was a sign that Naru knew what she did.

"How?" she grumbled angrily. "He really does know everything!"

Bou-san came over and clapped a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Oh Jou-chan, did Naru say something stupid again?"

"Yes!" Mai declared, then stamped her foot. "Arg, how does he know how exactly what to say to irritate me?"

"Cheer up, Mai," Ayako piped in. "He does that to everyone, as you know."

Mai sighed in defeat. "Yeah, you're right." She proceeded to pick up a box from the trunk. "I better go take this in before he cuts my paycheck."

She moved at a somewhat slow pace as the weight of the equipment slowed her down. She noticed that Hiroshi and Naru had already gone inside, most likely to the base room, so Mai would have to find it herself. Great.

She carefully passed through the door frame, nearly tipping over from the awkward way of entry. She slipped her shoes off and then took a step out of the genkan*. There was a large open room directly in front of her, and a hallway on her left and right. "Geez, Naru," Mai mumbled to herself. "I suppose you couldn't have waited for me for just one second?"

She decided to take a gamble and veered left. She walked through the hallway, looking through any open doors to see where Naru was, signifying the location of the base. The box seemed to be getting heavier and heavier with every second. She strained her ears, trying to listen for conversation somewhere in the large home.

"Oh gosh, why are you carrying something so big?"

Mai almost jumped in surprise. She craned her neck to peer around the edge of the box, only to be met with the image of a teenage boy around her age.

"Here, let me get that for you," he said with a smile, taking the box off Mai's hands.

She stood there for a second, trying to recognize the boy in front of here. As soon as she realized that he had taken the box for her, she waved her hands. "Oh! Oh, no, you didn't have to - it's my job, after all!" A light blush settled on her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, not knowing who this stranger was.

"Oh, so you must be from that Psychic place, aren't you?" he said, looking at her from behind the box.

Mai nodded. "Yup, and I have to take equipment to the base, although I don't know where it is…" she trailed off sheepishly.

The male flashed a kind smile. A sincere one that made Mai's heart do something weird. "Don't worry, I'll take you there. I'm glad you guys were able to come help us out."

Mai smiled back. "I'm glad to be here! You've got such a nice home, after all."

The boy shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I just think it's way too big. And weird. And kinda haunted, so…"

Mai giggled. "Have no fear! We'll get that ghost for you!"

The boy laughed. "If you're the one promising me, I'm sure everything'll be okay."

Mai, for the second time that day, blushed.

"Anyway, follow me," he said. "And, sorry for the late introduction, but I'm Yamada Kosuke. You?"

"Taniyama Mai," the brunette responded almost instantly. "Nice to meet you."

* * *

Naru was typing away on his laptop when he heard outside the door of the base. It slid open, and Naru turned around to see who it was.

He looked up as Mai entered the room, followed by a boy who was not on the SPR team. They were talking and laughing with each other, being quite loud.

"It's about time you arrived," Naru snorted, looking at the bubbly girl. His eyes then found the boy. "And who is this?"

"Oh, Naru!" Mai said, a sparkle in her eyes. "This is Yamada Kosuke, he's the other son of Hiroshi."

Naru simply looking at Kosuke, then turned back around in his seat. He began typing again and said to Mai, "Then make sure you don't get lost and have him take you to the kitchen. Get me some tea."

Mai gave a small sigh. "Hai, hai," she said exasperatedly. "We'll be back in a few minutes then."

The two left the room, leaving Naru in the base to continue whatever he was doing. As the narcissist heard them walk away, they immediately started laughing with one another. It was quite obnoxious, really, so Naru tried to direct all his attention on the task in front of him, typing more aggressively as a result of his utmost focus.

Another burst of laughter rang through the hallways.

Naru hammered the period key.

* * *

**OOOOOH IS A LITTLE NARU JEALOUS? Are they really being obnoxious or is he especially annoyed because Kosuke can get Mai to laugh like that? hehehe **

**I apologize to anyone if they wanted some action right away. I just think stories should have a solid pace to them, because it's a pet peeve of mine if something automatically and suddenly jumps into the plot without some build up first, you know? So yeah, I hope you understand :)**

***Genkan - something in the front of a Japanese home where you take off your shoes and put on slippers. (I'm pretty sure you all knew that, I'm just throwing it out there just in case)**

**So... I mean...I guess I'll go now. I am very very busy with a schedule to do nothing, even though my homework isn't finished, buttttt whatever. **

**With cookies and sparkly candies,**

**Inksomnia**


	3. Chapter 3

**OMIGOSH I can't believe I have three chapters up. I like this story so yes.**

**enjoy and also ghost hunt is not mine**

* * *

Day 2, 8:13 A.M.

One day had past and there wasn't a sign of any paranormal activity.

Last night had been normal. The group had arrived without any problem, set up cameras and equipment and then proceeded to have an uneventful night.

Naru, however, stayed up all night doing his own research. But his results had yielded nothing; there was no geological issue with the terrain or structure of the house, no abnormal histories, and not even a case of death among past residents, natural causes or otherwise. His brilliant mind couldn't even conjure up a logical explanation that would ease his client.

Naru pinched the bridge of his nose. Somehow, he knew that this case wasn't anything to be bothered with.

The teenager checked the clock on his computer. It was thirteen minutes past eight. _Thirteen minutes past the time everyone was supposed to wake up. _And yet he hasn't heard anyone bustling about (with the exception of Lin).

Two things disturbed him highly about this fact. One, his team members apparently didn't take their jobs seriously as they weren't punctual; and two, he has to be the alarm clock, because somehow, everyone else seems to have forgot set theirs, or something along those lines.

Slightly irritated, the dark haired male rose from his seat and left his room. He stopped in front of the first door he saw, not giving any thought as to whose it might be, and slid it open (with a bit more extra force than necessary).

Inside was his assistant, Mai. She was sleeping on her futon with a peaceful look and was curled up into a ball.

"Mai," the male announced, not caring about disturbing her in her calm state.

No response.

He felt more irritated by the minute.

"Mai."

The girl rolled over to the other side.

Naru crouched down beside her and loomed over her head.

"Mai!"

Naru quickly backed away as the said girl sprang upright. She looked to her left and her face erupted with a fiery red blush.

"N-Naru?! W- why are you here?"

Naru looked to the side, then glanced at her. "Apparently you think so little of your job that you can afford to sleep in, correct? It is, I believe, about 8:15 at the moment." He paused. "In other words, Mai, it is a quarter past your expected awakening."

"I know!" she snapped back. "But what are you saying? I set my alarm clock last night!" She grabbed the black cube next to her. In glowing red numbers, it read 7:48.

"No way!" Mai looked back at Naru. "Are you sure it's 8:15?"

"Quite."

"Positive?"

"I'm always right, Mai."

Mai pouted. "That can't be! I just bought this three days ago!"

"I see. You're so dumb that you can't even handle a clock properly."

"Wha-! How rude! You-"

"Anyhow," Naru said, standing up. "I require you to wake up everyone else and gather the temperatures of each room." He began his way towards the door, his back to the fuming brunette. "And Mai."

"What?"

"Tea."

He promptly left, leaving Mai to nearly rip out her own hair.

"That jerk! He-I- ARG!"

"Are you okay?"

Mai looked up to see Kosuke standing at the door, his dark brown eyes filled with concern.

"Oh! Good morning!" Mai sighed. "and yes, I'm okay. Just…Naru is stingier than normal today."

Kosuke furrowed his eyebrows. "Naru…is your boss, right?"

Mai's eyes widened, realizing her mistake. "Ah, yes. I call him Naru, he's really Shibuya…_san." _She was reluctant to add the _san _at the end, because by no means did she feel respect for him that day.

Kosuke seemed to have noticed, because he grinned. "Hard feelings today?"

Mai nodded. "Yep."

"Well, Taniyama-san – "

"Please, call me Mai – "

"Well, Mai, I have some news that'll cheer you up."

"Oh?"

"Every kid's dream – it snowed last night."

"Oh!"

Mai's eyes sparkled. Her childish nature couldn't be helped, and the word 'snow' made her feel alive and energetic.

"Hey, come outside with me, I have to watch my brother anyway."

Mai agreed enthusiastically. "I'll join you out there, I just have to do a couple things first."

Kosuke grinned wider. "Okay."

* * *

Mai stood for a moment, thinking.

When she had gone to wake up Bou – san and Ayako, she noticed that their digital alarm clocks were stopped at 7:48 as well. So she wasn't completely crazy after all.

She sighed and decided to shake the thought out of her head. She found the kitchen and walked in to make the ever so needed tea for her boss.

Mai retrieved the materials needed to prepare the tea and then she looked out the window that was above the stove.

Outside, she saw snow falling from the sky, and she saw Ayako, Bou-san, Kosuke, Takashi, and the dog enjoying themselves in that snow. Mai smiled softly at the scene before her.

'_This reminds me of when I was small…Me, Mama, and Papa would always play outside when it snowed…'_

This thought caused Mai to sigh, and a pang of sadness suddenly hit her.

'_Ah, well,' _she thought to herself. '_I have another family now.' _Mai giggled as she saw Ayako screaming at the monk for hitting her with a snowball.

'_And I couldn't have asked for a better one.'_

* * *

"Naru, here's your tea and the list of temperatures."

Mai set them on his desk, yet he made no sign of acknowledging that she was there. He just continued to type away on his laptop. She stood there for a minute, trying to think of something to say.

"Um," she began, "when I woke everyone up, I noticed that their clocks were stopped at the same time mine was stopped at. So I'm not the only one who 'can't handle clocks properly'!"

"Is that so?" Naru said absentmindedly.

Mai nodded. "Yes, it is so. But it's kind of strange, don't you think?" Mai thought for a moment. "Could this maybe be the work of a spirit? I've heard they can affect electronics or clocks."

"Perhaps," Naru responded, not paying much thought to it at all. "Or maybe everyone is having quite a difficult time managing their devices today."

Mai huffed in anger. She was about to respond when he turned around.

"You woke the other members up, I presume?" Naru inquired, his cool gaze fixed upon Mai.

Mai blinked. "Yes."

"Where are they?"

"Outside playing in the snow."

The dark haired male crossed his arms. "And they call themselves adults?"

Mai couldn't tell if he was asking her or not. "I guess?"

Naru turned back around and resumed typing. "I suppose I don't need them at the moment. They can waste their lives away until the others arrive."

Mai nearly jumped of joy. "You mean Masako and John are coming too?"

"Yes."

"What about Yasuhara?"

"He will come after some research I sent him to do."

Mai beamed. She loved it when the whole team is able to come.

"Well, Naru, if you don't need me, I'm going to join them outside, okay?"

Mai interpreted his silence as an okay.

"Okay, bye!" She left the room and entered her own, which was just across the hallway.

Mai began to prepare herself against the cold. She put on her coat, some earmuffs, and a scarf, which was had little Christmas trees on it as the pattern.

She looked at her scarf, and it had forced another sad thought. '_Christmas was their favorite time of the year, as well as mine…' _Mai shook her head, as if to get rid of the reflection. She promised herself she wouldn't be upset, but this time, it hurt a lot more than she wanted it to…

All of a sudden, her room got especially cold. So cold, in fact, that Mai could see her breath.

'_What's going on?' _Mai looked around the room and decided she should leave before things got serious.

As she made her way to the door, slowly and carefully, the light went out and rapping noises were heard.

The room started to shake, throwing Mai off balance, and she hit the floor. She heard more noises, but this time, they were knocks on the door.

"Mai!"

Naru and Lin burst into the room, seeing what was going on. "Naru!" Mai said. She stood up and joined them.

The rapping noises intensified, and somehow it seemed to get even colder.

Naru spoke up. "We need to get out of here. Let's g – "

He was cut off by the sudden gasp given by Mai. She was pointing at the walls; an unknown source was writing 'Are you lonely?' over and over again.

At this, Mai doubled over. Not because she was injured, but she was overcome by a huge wave of sadness and loneliness she's never felt before.

"Mai!" Naru grabbed her arm to keep her from falling over. "What's wrong?"

It hurt. Mai felt tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. The pain, the sorrow, the utter loneliness caused by her parent's death…it _hurt. _She remembered it all: all the memories and emotional pain. And it was all coming back, all at once.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She could barely hear Naru and Lin yelling. All she knew was that she felt so depressed that it was bringing her physical pain.

The last thing she heard was Lin shouting.

"Kazuya, _get her out now!"_

And then Mai lost consciousness.

* * *

**Well, there you go! A longer chapter this time. I hope you enjoyed, because I didn't T^T I feel like this is a sucky chapter.**

**I also had a slightly different ending for this chapter, but I couldn't decide which to put, but alas, it was the one you read. I may or may not edit this chapter later to put in the other ending. **

**Anyway, don't be shy to leave me a review! You guys are cool. :)**

**With berries and skittles, **

**Inksomnia**


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